Kingdom Hearts: Treacherous
by EibonVirgo
Summary: Namie Lockhart is blind and helpless; after losing her two best friends unexpectedly and 4 and a half years of a silent, dark world, she becomes something new: A Nobody. Reborn as Anixem, Organization XIII's Number XV, she finds that the most treacherous things in life are the ones that you don't even know you fear. (OCxAxel)
1. Dead

Kingdom Hearts: Treacherous

**Second story! This one is Kingdom Hearts, OCXCanon. DEALWITHIT :D  
Enjoy!**

Preface:

Suppose you're trapped. Suppose you can't find your way out. Suppose that you haven't anywhere to go and anything to do in means of retaliation to your current position. Suppose you are helpless. Suppose all you know is darkness.  
No one knows darkness like I do. If you close your eyes at night, and when you open them in the morning, the darkness doesn't falter, you become a friend to darkness. You live within it. You are its prisinor. You are trapped. You can't find your way out. You haven't anywhere to go and anything to do in means of retaliation to your current position. You are helpless. All you know is darkness. I am helpless. All I know is darkness.  
I feel the sun shining, hot on my back. I feel the air, cool and sweet around me. I can touch each surface of each building or of the many bright things that grow in the gardens. I can smell the the air, pungent with the aroma of the flowers. I could lay down in a sea of the flowers that grow near my house and smell, taste, feel them. But I can never see them. This is a privilege which has been revoked.  
Perhaps I never deserved it anyway. Although, when I do think about it, everyone in this world is born just like that, a friend to darkness and a helpless thing in a world full of many things. They all have a purpose set for them since before they were created. Although, they only know what their purpose is when they see it. These dead eyes I've been given are of no use to me... How can I find my purpose, then? What is a girl, grown older than of a helpless age, of use to a world that relies on a plethora of sights and colors?  
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. And all others. I could say them. I could rely on my other senses to know what they are like. Red tastes like an apple, sounds like rock music, smells like roses. Yellow tastes like a lemon, feels like the sun at noon, sounds like birds chirping. Blue sounds like crashing waves, feels like a cool breeze, smells like the air fresh after rain. I could go over these comparisons in my head, use my other four senses... But I could never understand them. What is a sunset like? How do you paint a picture? It's a miracle I can walk out of my house alone and find my way back before nightfall. Everything I've known is through an opaque window. I've been barricaded from the life I want. Why? Why am I like this? What did I do to deserve such torture?  
What did I do to deserve being blind?

I feel sweaty. Rolling over, I toss my arm over my dead eyes. I can feel the sun shining through my window, meaning it's morning. Or maybe afternoon. I can't figure which. Eventually, the warmness of the room overtakes me and I force myself into an upright position, stumbling out of bed and cursing my faulty sense of equilibrium. Feeling to the right of the room, I find the sink and wash my face to rid myself of the awful humid feeling. It's not usually this hot in Radiant Garden; halfway through June, and it's only now beginning to feel like summer.  
Quickly, my drowsiness fades away and I grope around the walls of my room until I finally find the closet. It's easier to find what I want, since I tried my best to organize my seasonal clothing into specific areas, given that if my closet was messy, it would take me hours to get dressed in the morning. I take my usual outfit choice off the rack, a skirt made of a rough material I've been told is called 'khaki,' and a loose tee shirt with which I usually put on a jacket over. I tie the jacket around my waist because I hate sweating, and I don't plan on doing it any more today.  
It takes me a while longer to remember where I left my boots; I'm lucky I live in such a small house, otherwise I would, again, be here a while. I run a comb through my shoulder-length hair and tie it back into a ponytail, which probably never looks completely neat given my lack of sight. Outside, the sun's heat comes at me from directly overhead. I decide it must be noon, or somewhere close. It's slightly cooler out here than it is in my house, but still remarkably warm. I guess it may be in the seventies or eighties today.  
Following the ever lingering scent of the flowers that grow in the fields around my neighborhood, I take the usual route. I have long since memorized the floor plan of Radiant Garden.  
Slowing my pace once I feel the cool shade of Castle Town's surrounding buildings, I take a few steps out towards the planters. Feeling with my hand to make sure I'm not about to sit on empty air, I plop down on the concrete edge of the surrounding area and stick an earbud in my ear. Mostly, I spend my time trying to strengthen my other four senses by using them as frequently as possible.  
I turn the volme up loud and block out the quietness of the world around me, like I've done for so very long. Sometimes, I feel jealous of whoever sings this music I listen to, about their experiences that are so much more painful because they can see. I sometimes feel sad for them. But then, I remember that they got into those messes because of their sight, and the ridiculousness of "Love's first kiss," and forget about it. Did I mention? I'll probably never fall in love, either, because I'm unable to see who I might like.  
I don't hear because the bass is booming in my ear, but someone shakes my shoulders violently, once, as if they're trying to scare me. I sigh and turn off the volume for a moment. "Hi, Lea."  
"Awwwww!" he complains. "You weren't scared at all?"  
"Lea, you do that all the time. I get used to it like I'm used to your whining."  
"Hey!"  
Isa laughs with me. "Finally, someone who understands my pain."  
Hey, I have to put up with you two party-poopers," Lea protests playfully. "Always messing stuff up..."  
"I'm blind, I have an excuse," I retorted. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."  
"You're welcome, Lieutenant Sarcastic."  
"Well," Lea puffed. "What's your excuse, Isa?"  
"Excuse? Well, I think I'm starting to go deaf from having to listen to you all the time!"  
Isa and I laughed. "Heeeeyyyy! I could make fun of you too, ya know!"  
"Oh yeah?" Isa challenged. "Try me."  
"I have ice-cream on Isa," I said.  
"Hey, no bets," Lea said. "I said I could, not that I would!"  
"I knew it!" I laughed. "Shut uppppppppp..."  
The three of us laughed together this time. The air shifted as someone sat next to me, presumably Lea. "Whew!" he sighed. "Now that ya mention it, I could go for some ice cream. It's so hot out here!"  
"It might just be your hair."  
Lea shoved my playfully. "You kidding? You've never even seen my hair!"  
"I have a good descriptionist," I assured him.  
"Have you had a description of Isa's head?" he countered, obviously in-the-know that Isa was my resource on things in the world. "His hair looks ridiculous!"  
Isa scoffed. "At least mine didn't explode."  
I giggled, and Lea broke out in complaints, he and Isa constantly taking playful swings at each other. Eventually, I was laughing at the both of them, and Lea said my way, "What are you laughing at?"  
"I can't help it!" I laughed, breaking out in a seemingly endless fit of giggles. "You guys would make the weirdest brothers!"  
At that, we were all laughing. Lea and Isa were my best friends. It was also thanks to them that I found better descriptions for things.  
Lea added to my descriptions of things like fire, the color red, things of passion. He was spunky, outgoing, combative, and never gave up a fight. He was passionate and fiery, lively as a blazing brush fire, and had a cheery outlook and sunny disposition on everything. He had other sides too he didn't like to show; he could be uplifting, complicated, and just a little bit tsundere. In short, he was warm like the sun.  
Isa was more of an addition to my opinions of calm things. He was quiet most of the time, observant, and as calm and bright as a full moon. He had an interesting opinion on all living things, seeing them from different angles as one would see a difficult issue or problem. Then again, he had other sides to him, sides that were competetive and trustworthy and riposte. In short, he was unexpected and cool like a rainstorm.  
They say opposites attract, and Lea and Isa are indeed opposties. It makes me wonder, though... Am I a complete opposite of them? If so, what am I? How do they see me?  
I feel vain thinking about it. I push myself to forget; heaving my mind back to the real world, Lea and Isa are still skirmishing over each other. "At least I don't have a pointless catchphrase."  
"Hey! It's not pointless! I want people to remember me after I'm gone, is that such a bad thing?"  
"Yeah, you'll be remembered all right..."  
"See? I'm immortal!" I giggle and Isa laughs, a little mockingly, along with Lea and me."You'll remember me, right Namie?"  
Smiling, I reply, "I got it memorized a long time ago, Lea. You won't have to worry about me."  
"I will live forever!" Lea celebrates. I giggle again, and I hear Isa groan in annoyance.  
"Hey," I shout-whisper to Isa. I hear his footsteps as he comes over. I toss a handful of munny at him. "Technically, I'm paying. He might shut up if he gets some ice cream."  
"Good thinking." I think he might be running a hand through his hair, because he sound exasperated. "Cuz a quiet Lea is a happy Isa, eh?" I ask as he walks towards the plaza.  
"Always," he laughs.  
There's another shift in the air as Lea probably sits back down next to me. "Where's he goin'?"  
"I gave him munny for ice cream."  
"Finally, I get some ice cream!"  
"Dude, you couldn't_ live_ without that stuff!"  
"I live on it!"  
We both laugh, and Lea sighs. "It really is a nice day, though."  
"Yeah," I say, my body relaxing slightly as a cool breeze washes over me. It's stark quiet for a while, which scares me. I can't stand the thought of being in not only a completely dark world, but a completely silent one, too. I'm jolted once Lea speaks up again. "Hey, Namie?"  
"Yup?"  
"I know you and Isa kinda tease me sometimes, and it's funny... But what do you really think of me?"  
The question catches me off guard a little. I wasn't expecting something this serious from Lea... "You _are_ one of my best friends."  
"...Is that all I am to you?"  
I pause. I haven't an idea what he's getting at. "I... don't understand."  
"Don't you, ya know,_ like me_?"  
"Of cour-" I stop myself. Is he really...? "_Like_?"  
"_Like_." He confirms my guess with that emphasis... Why is he asking?  
"Why are you asking?" I hear myself say.  
"Ya know, I just... wanna know."  
There's a long moment of silence. I'm unsure of how to answer. "I... I don't know, Lea..."  
"Oh." I can tell immediately that he's disappointed. "Okaaayyy... If you figure it out, tell me."

_Tell you..._

_I have figured it out, Lea. I wish so much that I could give you that answer. I wanted to... That's why I went with you. But you couldn't escape... I was the only one who got out unscathed. Even Isa..._  
_Why couldn't it've been me? Why'd you have to go and vanish like that? I have no purpose in the world, why didn't I get hurt? Why was I left alone again? This silent, dark world..._

_My worst fear._

Four and a _half years_. I haven't seen either of them since then... I wanted to tell Lea that I'd found my answer, that I knew the answer to his question, but I couldn't. He'd vanished, like Houdini, into thin air. I was alone again. Even Isa had gone... Why is it that you never know what you've got until you lose it? Why must that happen?  
I don't know. I probably never will.  
Since that day, I never go to that meeting place again. I never eat sea-salt ice cream, Lea's favorite. It's too painful a memory. The day of my nineteenth birthday was warm, with a breeze blowing, just like that fateful day. I didn't celebrate my birthday anymore, not since then. It reminded me of...  
I took a walk out into Castle Gardens, where I could smell the sweetness of the flowers heavy in the air. I simply ambled now; I'd long since begun to forget the many landmarks of Radiant Garden through my misery, and it was well affecting the rate at which I traveled. The quietness of the land was again concealed by rock music blaring into my ears, the harsh words of the singer wholly describing my mood for the past four years. I hated being alone... Even more, I always got this feelign somehow... This weird feeling that someone was watching me...  
I ended up near the altar on the outskirts of town; I could tell by the air that faltered around me. The altar had always been a somewhat holy place, and for some reason, it was never disturbed by the elements. Here, more than ever, I could feel someone watching me, as if they were breathing down my neck.  
A chill up my spine. I tore my earphones out and turned off the music instantly. I didn't like this creepy feeling I was getting...  
The air shifted, and I spun around. There was someone before me, but I didn't know who it could possibly be. My quietest whisper echoed. "Who are you?"  
"_Namie_ _Lockhart_," a voice, young but dark with stress and an undertone of mystery, rang around the altar. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The voice was thick and too sweet, like syrup; the kind of syrup in fairy tales that the evil villian uses to poision an apple.  
"Who are you?" I demanded again.  
"Forgive my manners," the too-sweet voice continued. "My name is Xehanort... Although, you may call me Xemnas."  
"Okay," I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. "Xemnas. How do you know who I am?"  
"I've always known you," he continued, his voice growing smooth. "From the beginning, he said you would exist. He said you would appear here with the only purpose as to quell me."  
_He_? Who was _he_? "I'm sorry; I don't know what you're talking about."  
"Of course not. I wouldn't expect you to know about Eraqus so soon... Why, you're not even changed yet."  
"W-What are you talking about?"  
"Ah, yes," he said, as if reminiscing. "I remember. The day you and your little acquaintances came to my castle... I wanted to change you there, but those boys stepped in the crossfire... They're under my administration now, and there's no one who can delay this any longer."  
I took a couple steps back. This old man was off his rocker.  
"Don't leave yet," he crooned. "We haven't even finished out greetings."  
"Yes, well," I said nervously. "Hello, and goodbye..."  
I began to pass him hesitantly...  
"You want to see, child?"  
I stopped in my tracks. "W-What...?"  
"You lack sight. But you want it, I can tell. I can fix that."  
"...How?"  
"Well, you must first lay down your blade and surrender your heart to me."  
"Surrender my... what? What blade? What are you talking about?"  
"You see, your power far exeeds my own... Eraqus hasn't yet taken control of you. If you denounce yourself now and surrender your heart, I can give you sight."  
"B-But you can't live without a heart!" I blurted out.  
"That may by scientifically true... However,the heart I speak of is the one that contains human emotions. Denounce that, and you will see."  
Give up my emotions? I scoffed. "You're crazy!"  
"You won't agree? Perhaps I'll have to _persuade_ you a little more... decisively."  
The air shimmered. I jumped to the left, and something cracked the stone under my feet.  
"Are you crazy?!" I said exasperatedly. "I prefer the term _visionary_."  
The air shimmered again, but this time, something hard and cold came swinging at me. Whatever it was, it nicked my left arm and I felt a hot slash of pain as the blood dripped. However, as soon as that blade came in contact with me, I felt a tug, as if from a fish line, and it pulled at my ability to feel. For a moment, I'd been numb of everything.  
I was scared. "Help!" I shouted. "Help! _Help_!"  
The third time the thing came at me, there was a funny twitching sensation in my right hand. My fingers felt warm. As the hard metal was about to come in contact with me, my arm as if it had a mind of its own, shot up and connected with whatever the man had been holding in his hand. I couldn't see the light coming from it, but I could tell it was light because of the way it burned.  
Something was in my hand; whatever it was, it was on my side. I couldn't control my limbs anymore, the thing in my hand was flying left and rtight to block the blows from this unusual man.  
"Perhaps I was later than I thought," he mused, holding back for a slight moment to speak. "You already have control of Eraqus' Keyblade."  
Okay, now he was just spewing nonsense. I actually let my arm swing at him this time, and I think it might've actually landed a good blow, because there was a howl of pain and the ground tremored slightly.  
Suddenly, a cool gust of wind washed over me, and the air of the entire place changed. My hand started swinging at places other than the crazy guy, and there were actually things it came in contact with. What was going on...?  
I hoped this was a nightmare, all of it. I'd wake up feeling hot and sweaty and afraid and I'd go meet Lea and Isa in Castle Town to talk about it.  
There's another cool rush of air that's so strong, it knocked me to the ground. I suddenly felt that tug again, except this time, I was not numb. On instinct, I rolled over in a recoil from the sudden shock of pain and stumbled to my feet, trying to run away.  
The air was knocked out of me. I felt my feet leave the ground, but I was too bewildered to figure out what was going on. Equally, the pain was bewildering. There was a crushing, a breaking, and I struggled for air even as I felt my ribs snapping like toothpicks. I lost almost all feeling in my form, until I felt that tug again and something else was ripped from me. With a shock, I was dropped back onto the ground; my spine had already snapped, all I felt was the thud of my limp body against the ground. I wasn't aware of much else, except the sudden burning that had overtaken me.  
Like walking plain into a fire, it was like I was being roasted from the inside out; like a corrosion overtaking me as slowly but painfully as possible.  
The burning increased and overtook me completely, tearing a wide path through my veins. I was more afraid than ever. The fire racing through me had sealed off all my other senses, cutting me off from the rest of the world. My worst fears had been suddenly realized.  
My world was dark and silent and painful. I coldn't move any part of my body whatsoever, and the fire was spreading through me at an alarming rate. It was crushing me, and my own blindness was darker than ever, the blackness looming over me about crushing me with its weight. I was too weak to continue.  
At that moment, I felt defeated. I really was alone.  
Suddenly, something strange happened. A coolness washed over me, and it wasas if I could feel rain beating against me. The water was soothing, calming to my seared flesh. Through the steady sound of rainfall, I heard a voice.  
"Hey, whatcha doin' all alone in the rain?"  
"I'm blind." My own voice.  
"Gee, well, ya should've started with that."  
"I just wanna get home. I hate the cold..."  
"Tell me where you live; I can help ya."  
"You're serious?"  
"Do I sound not-serious?"  
"Oh, well, thanks... My name's Namie."  
"They call me Lea. Got it memorized?"  
I was back in my own body; the world was again silent and everything was gone once more. I had remembered the first time I'd ever met Lea...  
Lea was alive, I knew it! I wouldn't loose hope in him! After all, I'd sworn to get him memorized. I'd find him again, and I'd give him his answer!  
I refused to give up.  
A briliant tsunami of heat washed over me. For the slightest second, I regained my senses and my feeling, although the fire never ceased, and I heard the man's familiar blood-curdling shriek. The heat washed over me again, and I felt very cold.  
Suddenly the heat inside me was overtaken by a bitter cold, soothing the heat of my scorched insides. I was suddenly frozen in place, and the deep freeze receeded instantly, leaving a hollow feeling suddenly filled with some ominous presence.  
And then the beating of my heart suddenly stuttered and vanished.  
It was quiet for a long, long moment. I wasn't sure how much time had passed.  
But then, suddenly, I opened my eyes and gazed above me in wonder.

I could see.

**Leave a comment! Thanks for reading!**

**See ya! ;D  
-Eibon**


	2. Wired

Kingdom Hearts: Treacherous

**So, I've had this block for a bit... It's finally clearing up, at least on two of my stories! Christmas vaycay is coming up, though, so I apologize if I don't update as often.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

I: Wired

My first singular thought was about the light in my eyes. At the same time, I realized it was only a pure white wall. I'd been looming in the darkness too long to know what light looked like. Wasn't I supposed to be blind? How was I seeing this?

Strangely, as I considered rising, I had already jumped to my feet. Staring around the small room, it was windowless and a bland white; a small bed lay up against a corner, and a smooth door was inlaid in the front wall.

I glanced down at my hands; they were covered in white, a thin but comfortable fabric that almost seemed like another layer of my skin. I was clad in some sort of white garment, like a long coat, and strange pointed boots. Long flowing sleeved cut off at my wrists, and some patterned chain hung at my throat.

Cautiously, I walked to the front of the white room and placed my hand on the smooth doorknob, turning it and opening the door enough for me to peek out.

The door was one of many in a long gray hallway, leading both ways into black nothingness. Sheepishly, I stepped out into the open and closed the gray door behind me, glancing around he long corridor.

It was for only a split second that I thought about which path to take, when my instinctive mind directed me to the left. It was very dark, but for some reason, I cast a white glow over the shadows.

Then I suddenly made it into a big gray room, plated in the back with thick glass. Out in the blackened sky hung a big heart, golden in color, and awakened something strange in me.

A part of me was drawn to it, attracted like I was magnetized or something.

Another part pushed me to run and get far away from here. This was not a good feeling.

I decided to trust the negative instinct, because anything bad about this place would not be pleasant in the slightest. No, this castle had a haunting aura.

I backed away from the window, and figured that I should get out.

I turned back down the hallway, following it towards the other end; my senses, heightened, tested the area-I could smell fresh air wafting slightly through these halls. It had to come from somewhere.

When I'd made it to another fork in the hallways, where the darkness was even thicker. My strange glow barely cut through the black.

However, the scent of air fresh with rain became more prominent. At the end of the dark hallway, there was a long walkway that led out to a bridge. That must've been the exit...

I made my way quickly to the exit, wondering of anyone even lived in this castle. Who could've brought me here?

My thoughts were interrupted by a hand on my shoulder, to which I spun around and fell into a defensive crouch.

"You're awake?" the man asked. "That's a relief. You were worrying me."

I didn't recognize him, the red spiked hair and acidic jade eyes, but there was something about his voice that jogged a bit of my memory. His tone was soft, but sharp with some other emotion I didn't understand.

The man towered over me, tall and gorgeous, but my feet took me away. The aura surrounding him was welcoming, but there was that touch of darkness that covered this castle.

"You're fine, ok?" he said, holding his hands up as a sign of surrender. "Your senses are only on edge. It'll wear off in a few days."

Looking at the man confusedly, he held his hand out for me. "Don't be afraid, you're safe here. Maybe we can even get your memory back in a little while. You do know me, right? Anixem?"

Anixem? That couldn't be right. My name was... My name was...

What was my name again...?

I couldn't speak for some reason. I struggled to try and move my lips, try to formulate some reply.

"Anixem?" he asked again, hopefully, green eyes wide with a sort of begging.

But this castle... I wanted to trust the man, I felt like he was someone I could put faith in. But everything has a dark side, and I wasn't sure if I could handle the dark area of this place.

Instinctively, as soon as I thought about it, I turned tail and sprinted down the bridge.

I heard the man shout that name after me, calling for me to stop and come back. My conscious mind ignored him, leading me down along the bridge and all the way into the dark metropolitan city, drenched with the pouring rain.

I thought I was going to be soaked to the bone... The rain rolled right off of the white material I was clad in and back onto the ground, my hair the only thing getting wet. I pulled the white hood over my head, instantly shielded from the downpour.

For some reason, I kept running. Where else did I have to go? Why didn't I just stay in that castle?

I turned into an alley shielded by an overhang, and it immediately cut off into a dead end.

I turned to find another route, but there was another man there, strange and fair of face with drops of water clinging to his long silvery hair.

"You ran away from the Organization," he said thoughtfully. "And I thought I was going to have to kill myself getting you out..."

"W-Who are you?" I stuttered, finally finding my voice. My voice rang and shimmered lightly, like a bell. Obviously, I was not myself.

"I'm a friend," was all he answered. Although he wore the same black coat as the red-haired man had, his underlying aura was... Different. More comfortable.

"What's happening?" I breathed, my words tumbling out in somewhat of a smooth but cluttered rush. "I woke up in that castle, and I can see, and...!"

He walked over to stand in front of me, and placed his hands gently on my shoulders. "I realize this is a lot for you to process, but there aren't a lot of questions I can answer for you here. It's only a matter of time until they come after us."

"They?"

"Come on," he continued. A dark blob shot out of the ground, twisting with navy and violet. He held out his hand for me to take. "Do you trust me?"

With hesitation, I took it and he pulled me with him into the dark oval of energy, until there was an absence of all sight and sound.

Traveling through this darkness drove my sense crazy, but it was actually somewhat comfortable on my mind. Physically, I felt as though I could demolish a tank, while mentally, I simply felt drained. The darkness leveled it off, leaving me in some equilibrium.

Once we'd cut back through the darkness again, I found myself in a world that was all color. Pink and blue and green and violet streaked in typhoons across reality, broken by small spots of darkness that pulsed with the twisting of the spectrum.

"Where are we?" I breathed.

"It's much less about where we are now," he answered. "More like where we're going."

It was then that one of the dark pulses elongated and enveloped us, sending us hurtling through the shadows once more.

It was a shorter trip this time, only a few seconds. Once the dark had receded, I found myself gazing at a tall crumbling mansion, wrapped in a wrought iron gate and overrun by a forest. A noticeably large lock enclosed the front of the gate.

It was then that I realized I had been clutching the man's hand quite tightly; I was somewhat surprised it wasn't broken yet.

A strange looking sword appeared in his free hand, to which he pointed at the lock. Abruptly, the keyhole glowed and disappeared, the gate opening for us to walk through.

Gravestones poked their gray faces out of the unkempt crabgrasses of the front yard, glaring at us to go away.

The gate was suddenly locked again behind us, and the door of the mansion swung open into yet another pocket of pitch black darkness.

I clung to the man's arm, bracing myself for what we would find inside.

* * *

**Well! It wasn't as long as I'd hoped it would be, but I still feel like I've accomplished something. I like to be optimistic about these things.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**See ya ;D**

**-Eibon**


	3. Upright

Treacherous CH. 2

**So, unfortunately, my computer hard drive is broken... I'm actually posting this on my iPhone :D Not on my bucket list, but okay...**

**There's been a little debate about how Anixem's name is pronounced... My friends are always pronouncing it wrong.**

**Anixem's name is pronounced "On-yih-zem." **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

II: Upright

The small blonde young woman smiled warmly at me across the table. "Welcome, Anixem. I'm glad that you're here."

"What's going on?" I asked shakily. "One moment, I was blind, and now I'm not..." there were so many things I was mulling over in the big space in my mind, and strangely I could keep tabs on all of them.

"Anixem, let me begin from the beginning. What you are experiencing is your transformation into a Nobody."

"A-A Nobody?"

"Yes. In this world, there are beings of darkness known as Heartless. They are monsters that seek out and consume human hearts for their own. Now, if a heart consumed by a Heartless is especially strong, then their soul and the shell of their heart breaks away and forms into another being."

"S-So, I'm-"

"A Nobody," she answered. "Do you remember anything of your past?"

"Well, I remember a man being there... I can't remember what he said, but he attacked me... Then, I had this weapon or something, and I got knocked down by these cold things. Then it was really, really hot..."

"Losing your heart is a considerably painful process," the girl amended. "It burns you, inside and out, and almost always changes your physical appearance completely."

"Physical appearance?"

"Yes. Have you seen yourself yet, Anixem?"

"N-No, not really," I replied. "I used to be blind, and I didn't really think of looking before..."

"Well, due to you being a new Nobody, your senses have been spiked, as well as new sight."

"How long will I be like this?" I asked.

"Normally, Nobodies in the Organization lose it in a few days; it's taken from them so that they wont be more powerful than the leader."

"The Organization?"

"They live in the castle you woke in. They're a group of elite Nobodies that don't have very good ambitions. Because you aren't with them, you may never lose it."

"I-I'll be like this forever?!"

"It's not a bad thing; you're stronger and smarter than most of the members in the Organization. Because they made the mistake of leaving you alone when you woke up, and your instincts were enough to let you leave."

"Wait, but, hold on a second," I said. "How do I even know I can trust you? I don't even know who you are."

"Oh, silly me. I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Naminé. I'm a witch, or at least, that's what DiZ calls me."

"DiZ?

"He is in charge of everything that goes on here. You see, there is an ancient weapon known as the Keyblade. It's wielders are powerful and few, and can unlock an unlimited source of power. The Organization is after the chosen Keyblade wielder's power; his name is Sora."

Naminé's cheeks turned pink. "Some..._things_...happened, and now he's asleep and trying to regain his memory so that he can defeat the Organization and save the worlds."

"Where did his memory go?"

"He has his own Nobody, who goes by the name of Roxas. Roxas used to be a member of the Organization, but DiZ moved him here in order to help Sora wake up. However, one of the Organization's members keeps appearing and trying to bring him back."

"What about the man that brought me here?"

"His name is Riku. He and Sora are best friends. He's also here to help wake Sora up."

"So, um," I said. "where do I fit into this?"

"You, Anixem, are another wielder of the Keyblade. If the Organization has you and Sora, the worlds won't have any hope left."

"What am I even supposed to do?" I pressed curiously.

"I know this is a lot to take in, and also a lot to ask, but DiZ would like you to at least help us for now by watching over Roxas."

"Watch him?"

"Like I said, Roxas is being pursued by a member of the Organization. DiZ wants to insert you into the program and have you become one of his companions, also stopping the other Nobody from taking Roxas."

I sighed. My brain was processing it all like computer data: too quickly for me to understand. "I still have some questions..."

"And they will be answered," Naminé answered with a friendly smile. "I promise. But, are you willing to assist us?"

Dimly, I remembered the feeling of regular and casual clothing over my skin. Why did it seem a lot less bulky?

The rough jean material of the shorts was irritating to my legs, the smoother cotton fibers of the tee shirt a contradiction.

"You'll blend in easily with any clothing, but it'll be harder for the Organization to locate you when you're not in their coat," Naminé had told me.

"When I find Roxas, what should I do?" I'd asked.

"DiZ plans to insert your memory into the program of the town so that the inhabitants will know who you are as if you have lived there forever," Naminé had explained to me. "The programming, however, won't affect Roxas the way it does the other townspeople. You'll need to act as if you've known them all for your whole life."

"Okay..." I mumbled almost incoherently. "What do I do if the Organization comes?"

"Do you know how to use your Keyblade?"

Blankly, I shook my head.

"Well, it'll come to you soon enough. For the time being, if Roxas is around, you can play it off as a nightmare or some other explainable event. Otherwise, you can do what you see fit within the rules of the data."

"What are the rules of the data?" I asked.

"You need to stay within the boundaries of the twin: The Clock Tower is as far as you can go. There is no deliberate violence among programs. A. K. A., you can't kill or harm the townspeople."

"Is that all?"

"One more thing: don't get injured within the program. You won't ever heal."

"Okay," I murmured. "I understand."

"Good luck, Anixem," Naminé smiled cheerfully at me.

I gave a soft smile in return and exited the white room with the art plastered all over the walls. On my way out, I passed a drawing of a little girl without a face playing with two little boys- one with untidy red hair, the other with smooth blue.

I couldn't decide why the drawing had uprooted something inside of me, but I passed it like it meant nothing.

In the next room over, Riku was waiting for me. I got a better look at him this time.

He was of average height and athletically built even in the bulky black coat, and his silver hair reached his mid upper back in soft wisps. Long bangs almost completely concealed icy blue eyes that were sharp and alert. His hands were awkwardly twisted around the creases of his arms in an impatient cross, and his back brushed the wooden walls of this next room.

"Are you ready?" he asked in a terse yet polite tone, contradictory to his calm features. How could someone be feeling so much yet be hiding it so well?

I suppose there was no way for me to understand, with my being heartless and all...

"I'm ready," I assured him.

Riku motioned for me to follow him across the room, to which we reached a wooden table marked with strange symbols.

There were four separate enclosed boxes drawn with white chalk on the wood of the table; the upper left square held a symbol that was shaped like a crown. In the lower left, there was what appeared to be the symbol of an overturned heart that was missing pieces-pieces that appeared to have been taken out in splinters. The upper right symbol was a strange heart crossed over by a thick and definitive 'X.'

The lower right box was empty, until Riku picked up a small piece of off-white chalk and drew in what was meant to be missing: an 'X' shaped symbol that was standing on its vertically angled edge.

At first, I thought the table had been rumbling; only then did I realize that the rumbling was coming from very deep underground. A bright and blinding light filled up the room, and when it disappeared, so had the table with the strange symbols.

In its place was a very deep looking abyss with a long flight of stairs leading down into the darkness.

Riku motioned for me to follow him, and I did.

My eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, which I was not accustomed to. At first, it was like I was blind again and staring down into pitch black darkness. Once I blinked, I was able to see every grain of sand in the stone walls creeping in around us.

Down in the chamber, the only light came from scattered blue screens that showed footage of a small suburban town and its seemingly clueless inhabitants.

I marveled for a moment at the immense detail in the simple picture, and realized that Riku had gone ahead without me. I traipsed along behind him and found the gleam of his silver hair in the shadows, the dark outline of his coat leaned heavily against an equally black wall beside a tall chair that was faced towards the many blue computer screens.

The man's darkened face was cloaked in thick crimson bandaging that concealed all but one piercing ochre eye, focused completely on one central screen that depicted a young boy with messy golden spikes and an indifferent attitude.

Was this the DiZ Naminé had spoken of?

"So you've come," the man rasped in a deep bass- one that seemed aged by stress and disappointment.

"I-I'm aware of my objective," I replied in an inferior voice. I cringed at the feeble singsong of my tone.

"Riku will standby if you require his assistance," the man replied, the echoing boom strong with displeasured and sharp indifference.

For a very long moment, I gained back my notion of running away. There was something I didn't like about this red-cloaked figure, and I was made uncomfortable by the urgency of his one golden eye.

"Yes, th-thank you," I muttered, and Riku motioned for me to follow him again.

There was a strange looking chute with many electronic wires springing from it in a glowing cyan; Riku pointed at the circular opening, and I sheepishly ascended onto the plate.

I glanced around myself, apprehensive, and the world suddenly began to fade.

Before the light and dark mixed and settled in, Riku gave me an assuring smile.

All of my misgivings faded away; I was overtaken by the mindless sound of a digital birdsong.

* * *

_**Anixem is visiting Twilight Town! Some major things are coming up, including a little appearance from a certain redhead...**_

_**(Sorry for the italics. My phone is being a douche.)**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**See ya ;D**_

_**-Eibon**_


	4. Trouble

Treacherous CH. 3

**So I'm slightly depressed today... We had a choir competition yesterday and we lost by 2 pointsATP a choir that isn't worth beans...**

**I don't think I did as well on this chapter as I'd hoped... In fact, it kind of sucks :'(**

**Oh well! Enjoy, anyway.**

* * *

III: Trouble

The first thing I could completely distinguish from everything else was the strange combination of colors streaking through the sky.

Red, orange, yellow, gold, pink, violet, blue, and something else that I had no name for. It was a strange combination that somehow swirled into something incredible.

The city around me was quaint, quiet, crowded, and more like a town than an actual city. The buildings were shoved together in a lopsided fashion, built along a steep mountain that caused the cobblestones to slope.

There were arches and street lights that rivaled each other in terms of architecture, outrageously but sensibly designed for a flourish in variety.

The little houses were tall and shared walls along the sloped street, windows left open to let in a cool breeze.

It was a very homey place; the simplicity reminded me a little of my old home when I was human, despite the fact that I couldn't actually see it.

I took a small walk up the street to familiarize myself with the blueprint of the town; I decided that I should seek out the clock tower I shouldn't go beyond.

I noticed small side streets branching out like capillaries from the main road, and oriented myself around through them.

Most of them were dead ends, but others led to different places. I traipsed through one and passed a gated areas covered with a tattered red tarp, and found a flight of concrete stairs coated in a fine layer of sand.

Down below that, I found a sandlot, no doubt where the sand on the stairs had been tracked from.

I noticed a pair of boys swinging around a couple of blue bats, like for baseball, and three other figures sat by and watched them.

I watched as the boys swung at each other, until the smaller one got smacked in the torso; the blow tossed him onto the ground, and the boy just lay there for a second, trying to process what had just happened.

I took a few steps closer, concerned about the state of the smaller boy, and the second taller young man advanced towards me.

"Heeeey, Anixem!" the young man was taller than me by a head, with a dark beanie over his blonde hair. A scar crossed over the bridge of his nose, and his eyes were small, sharp and teal blue.

"Um, hello," I said quietly. He knew who I was; he must have been one of the programs Naminé had spoken about.

"So, what brings you over our way?"

I glanced over at the boy who was sprawled in the sand; he stared at me with large blue eyes, and there was a scrape on his forehead.

"Oh," I said, and met eyes with the boy. "Are you ok?"

"What, Roxas?" the young man drawled. "The kid's not gonna die, don't waste your time on him."

That was Roxas? I quickly decided that I needed to gain his trust, like Naminé had told me.

"Oh, but that scratch," I murmured to myself. I flitted around him to kneel down in front of the boy, and helped him off of the sandy ground. I scrutinized the scrape carefully. "It doesn't look too bad. The skin didn't break."

"Uh. Thanks."

I smiled good-naturedly. "You're Roxas, right? I've seen you around a few times, but I don't think we've ever formally met. My name is Anixem."

"Hi Anixem," Roxas greeted me kindly, and his blue eyes were innocent. Why the Organization was after such a young and naïve-looking kid, I had no idea.

"C'mon, on your feet," I laughed. Then I looked at the taller blonde. "It's not nice to pick fights. You should try something else for a change."

He blushed a dark red color. "Y-Yeah, w-well... Later!"

The boy in the beanie rushed away, the trio of figures who'd been watching on the sideline earlier following quickly behind him.

"Thanks for that," Roxas mumbled.

Roxas was a small kid, maybe around the age of fourteen or fifteen; a good four or five years younger than me. Embarrassingly, I wasn't much taller than him. His sandy hair was done in tousled spikes, and his blue eyes seemed to like to wander.

"No trouble," I replied casually. "What were you doing, anyway?"

"Well, there's a Struggle competition coming up..." Roxas trailed off and his eyes wandered again, this time to the blue bats. "Seifer thought that it would be nice to catch me without my friends, I guess. We're competing against each other in the tournament."

"That's kind of a dirty trick," I agreed. "Seifer never seemed like the nicest kid."

"But he seems to like you," Roxas protested. "He's probably really nice to you."

Because DiZ probably programmed him to be.

"It's probably just a boy thing," I sighed, playing it off. "I used to have this friend before I came here that was just as self-absorbed as that guy. But me wasn't nearly as mean. Just kind of sarcastic."

Which was true. I slightly remembered having a sarcastic but fun-loving friend in my life before I lost my heart. At least I wasn't a complete liar. Even though I was kind of good at it.

"I should probably go meet my friends," Roxas told me sheepishly, "but it was nice meeting you."

"It was nice to meet you too!" I said with a warm smile.

"See you around!" he called, then ran off in the direction from which I'd come.

What a nice kid; just like every other teenager since the dawn of time. Itching to have some fun.

Well, I'd made friends with Roxas. That's one of the things I'd been told, right?

What had I been doing before? Oh! That's right. I'd been searching for the clock tower.

I decided to continue on through the sandlot and into the next street, which strangely led to down the avenue from where I'd started.

I began to walk back up the road, and a sign caught my eye.

"Sea-Salt Ice Cream: 200 Munny."

Why did that strike a memory?

Curious, I peered into the shop and grabbed the attention of an elderly woman with her graying hair pulled back behind her ears. "Hello dear, what can I do for you?"

"Um," I said. "I'd like an ice cream, please?"

The woman disappeared and came back quickly with a rectangular blue popsicle and handed it to me. She looked at me expectantly, and I dug in the pockets of my shorts for something to pay her with.

I found four square-shaped coins lodged in my back pocket, and dropped them in her outstretched hand. The lady smiled at me and handed me back two of the coins. "Come again!"

I gave a timid smile in return and continued up the road, scrutinizing the ice cream. I sniffed it once; it had a fresh, clean scent that was tainted slightly by the tang of salt, like standing by the ocean and inhaling. It wasn't unpleasant. I took a little bite out of curiosity.

The taste was sweet, sort of like vanilla with a touch of salt that lingered in the aftertaste.

Now I remembered... I used to eat this with Lea and Isa...

I blinked. Who were Lea and Isa again?

I continued up the road in a mindless amble, taking numerous bites of my ice cream as I went.

Up at the crest of the road, a huge structure scraped the sky; it was built high and sturdy in bricks that varied in burgundy and tan and other colors that matched the scheme of the city. Perched at the top were a pair of gargantuan bells that hung on and ornate scale balanced on the pinnacle of the tower.

This must've been the clock tower! But it was so huge... I decided to go check out the inside.

Once I'd crossed through the doors of the tower, I found it appropriate to take a while and examine the enormous infrastructure.

Sight really was wonderful; I'd been so missing out.

The inside was colored a deep burgundy, a warm breeze wafting through the bell towers at the top. I heard the distant sound of a train pulling up to a station.

Maybe that's why the tower was the boundary. I just couldn't leave the town.

I looked up at the bell towers, marveling at the intricate system of clocks and gears in the upper space.

Why was something drawing me up to the top of the tower? I took another mindless bite of my ice cream and looked for an access door to find out.

I found a seemingly endless flight of stairs that took me no more than a minute to climb, and came out onto the outer parapet below the bells.

When I came around the front of the precipice, I stopped and stared at the sunset.

It was incredible-indescribable. The sky, still blue from the midday that remained, twisted with crimson and gold and indigo and magenta and so many other things that had mixed beyond my comprehension. Like a bunch of multicolored sugars had been twisted and strewn across the sky.

"Wow," I whispered to myself, and then took another subconscious bite out of my ice cream.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I jumped and almost tripped over my own feet, catching myself on the ledge.

"Hey, be careful, that could've ended up bad," the red-haired man told me. He wore a smile that was sexy and warned of trouble.

I recognized him from waking up; he'd been there in the Organization's castle!

I froze where I sat, afraid to move. When Naminé said that the Organization had infiltrated the program, I had wondered what I would do when I came across whoever they were.

Now, my mind was on blank.

"Hey, loosen up," he suggested casually. "I don't bite."

The red haired man came around behind me and then sat beside me on the ledge.

"I didn't expect that I'd see you here," he said cheerfully. "What luck, too! I was pretty worried that I wasn't ever going to see you again."

I didn't answer; instead, I sheepishly scooted away from him.

"Did I frighten you?" he asked in a disappointed tone. "I'm sorry. Can we start over? My name is Axel."

What was I supposed to do? Just get up and run? He'd just chase after me...

I hid my face behind my hair and didn't answer.

"What's wrong? Can't you speak?"

I tensed up slightly around the shoulders.

"Hello? Anixem?" his tone was displeasured. "Will you please say something?"

"Um," I said. " I h-have to leave..." I jumped up and began to make a run for it.

"Wait!" he called, and a slim hand grabbed my arm.

I froze up again, unsure of what I was supposed to do next.

"Hey, I'm not here to hurt you, and I don't want to freak you out, either. I just want to take you back home."

"H-Home?"

"Back to the Organization," he expounded.

"N-No," I stuttered. "I d-don't want to go there..."

"Why not?"

"I j-just don't, o-okay?"

"Anixem, what's wrong?"

"J-Just leave me alone!" I exclaimed and ripped my arm away. In my haste to leave, I dropped my ice cream somewhere in the inner tower.

I rushed outside and away towards the cobblestone street, and crashed right into Riku.

"Riku!" I exclaimed, and looked at him with wide eyes.

Riku quickly encircled me in his arm and stood to face Axel. I was finally able to examine him this time.

Axel was very tall and thin, but muscular in the shoulders and arms; his red hair was long and styled in tall spikes that each went their own distinct direction. His face was thin and tan, and his eyes were sharp and emerald with a hint of acid. I noticed distinct tattoos beneath both of his eyes, black overturned shapes of teardrops.

"You again?!" Axel's expression darkened considerably.

"There's been some mistake," Riku told him adamantly. "Anixem isn't a part of the Organization, and she won't be anytime soon."

"If you haven't noticed, Anixem is a Nobody," was Axel's reply, thick and cold with ice. "She belongs with the Organization, and she's not supposed to be here."

Why was I so important anyway? What was I supposed to offer? I felt very worthless. I guess for someone who didn't ever matter to the world, I wasn't used to being wanted or even needed by anyone.

"Not all Nobodies belong with the Organization. Naminé doesn't belong among you, Roxas doesn't belong among you, and neither does Anixem."

Axel's expression was hard; it seemed like he didn't have a reply.

There was suddenly a light that obscured my vision, and I found myself again in the chute surrounded by blue light.

"What?" I exclaimed, and I saw Riku and DiZ again. "What just happened?"

"It's that meddling redhead," DiZ boomed, his tone dripping with disgust. "He seems to have a past connection with you. Either that, or he's just too stubborn. It's too dangerous to send you in again."

"No!" I exclaimed. "You can't just... I was doing so well!"

"Until he showed up," Riku cut in. "We can't risk you around him, we could lose you to the Organization."

"But I'm sure I can handle it!" I protested. "I swear, I just... I just had some sort of mind blank! I didn't know what I was supposed to do..."

"Forget it," Riku told me. "You're staying here with Naminé."

"No," I said again. "I can do it; I met Roxas, and he seems like the sweetest kid! If the Organization is as bad as I'm told, then it would be awful if he was hurt."

"Why are you so intent on this? You were so unsure of yourself before."

"He's just a kid who wants to live and enjoy it; I was like that, but I couldn't because I was blind," I argued. "I don't want anyone else to have to give that up. It's awful and unfair."

Riku and DiZ exchanged an uneasy glance. Then DiZ spoke again. "If he gets that close to you again, you'll be pulled out."

"I understand," I replied. "I won't slip up again."

DiZ's one metallic eye rested on me, and then the cyan lights closed over me again.

This time, I found myself integrated into a sea of people all cheering for a Struggle match.

* * *

**Back in Twilight Town! I had a bit of trouble with the ending of this chapter; I kind of needed Anixem to develop a sympathetic relationship with Roxas...**

**I HOPE YOU ENJOYED :D**

**See ya ;D**

**-Eibon**


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